1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to advertising and promotions, and more particularly to a method for advertising by conducting a competition using all or a portion of a literary work that is divided into a plurality of distinct parts and formed into playing pieces that can include an advertisement, logo, or brand.
2. Related Information
Businesses and organizations frequently invest in advertising and promotion to encourage potential customers to purchase their goods or services. Companies use various techniques such as advertisements, sweepstakes, contests, and the like to promote their brand name and products. Fast food restaurants, for example, sometimes affix game items to food containers and encourage customers to collect game items in exchange for prizes, such as free food. Other companies encourage customers to purchase goods or services by offering a chance to win a predetermined prize, such as a luxury car or a vacation.
There has been a trend in recent years to promote literacy among children through various techniques. Children are encouraged to read books and other materials in order to become literate. Various games have been developed to facilitate this purpose. As one example, a game known as “Blue's Clues Cards”™ includes a fixed deck of cards with pictures and words. The object of the game is for a child to arrange several cards in any order to create a story.
As shown in FIG. 1A, three cards 101, 102, and 103 can be arranged in a certain order to make a short sentence (e.g., “Steve Reads Book.”). Longer sentences can be created by using more cards. Each card includes a picture and a corresponding word on one side, and a word but no picture on the other side, such that both sides of the cards can be used to form a sentence of the child's choosing. In effect, each child becomes an author since each child can create a different sentence.
A different game, sold as “Curious George Adventures,”™ contains sets of three cards depicting illustrations without words relating to a certain event (e.g., a monkey picking up a book and reading it). FIG. 1B shows three sample cards from the game. The object of the game is for the child to identify the correct sequence of the depicted illustrations based on information on each picture card, such as borders, actions choreographed on the cards, and the like. The back of every card is identical and identifies the name of the game and the company that produces the cards.
Steven King, the famous novelist, has recently announced his intention to write a book and post it to the Internet in stages, such that successive stages would only be distributed if he receives payment from readers for the previous stages of the book. This concept may revolutionize the way that literary works are distributed to the public.
The need for companies to find new and interesting ways of promoting their products and services presents an opportunity to promote literacy and reading among children and, consequently, leads to the principles of the present invention.